[freewilly1040]

> I don’t understand why remote learning during this surge isn’t acceptable.

Because "remote learning" is a joke.

I volunteered a bit in a virtual high school classroom. The teacher running it is making a frankly heroic effort to keep her students in the school system at all.

But no one was engaged, cameras were off, students regularly don't show up at all or drop off in the middle of class.

These are comparatively adults compared to younger grades.

[icedchai]

I don't think it has much to do with "learning." School is basically a babysitting / daycare service. They need the kids in school so the parents can work. At least the ones not privileged enough to "work from home" on a permanent basis, like many of us are here.

Remote work is often a joke, too. Many, many people are completely checked out, burnt out after having to endure too many mentally draining and often pointless zoom meetings. I know several folks planning to drop out of the work force for a while, when (if?) we return to a semblance of normality. That'll push salaries even higher for the ones who remain.

[chii]

> Many, many people are completely checked out, burnt out after having to endure too many mentally draining and often pointless zoom meetings

so how come they are able to function pre-pandemic, having the same meetings in the office?

[icedchai]

I think many were checked out already, Covid just accelerated it. The separation between home and work was blurred unexpectedly, during an extremely stressful time. People were forced into remote work. Many thought this to go on for a few months, not years.

I also feel there are more meetings now than pre pandemic.

[caddemon]

Did you read the OP? What they are doing in school right now is also a joke!

[freewilly1040]

I did. Here's the line that stuck out to me:

> One student tested positive IN THE AUDITORIUM, and a few students started screaming and ran away from him.

I suggest fixing the ludicrously miscalibrated risk assessment of omicron as a better route. How many of these legions of absent teachers even have symptoms?

[another_story]

The way schools are run, if even 5% of a district is absent at a single time things start to get tight. If it's 10% then you'll experience serious disruption.

Teachers in the US usually have 80% of their time spent spent teaching with 20% prep and duties (lunchroom or recess). Now you get a few people out with no subs available and you have teachers combining classes or covering others, leaving no prep time or unmanageable classroom sizes. Add to that a room of kids preoccupied with covid concerns and unable to concentrate.